Greenpeace Launch The Global Whale Sanctuary Petition
Wednesday 19 January 2000
Auckland - 19 January 2000: Greenpeace is today launching the Global Whale Sanctuary petition at the Royal New Zealand
Yacht Squadron in Auckland. The petition calls on the New Zealand government to take a leadership role in ending
commercial whaling by sponsoring and pressing for approval of regional whale sanctuaries toward the goal of a global
whale sanctuary.
Sir Peter Blake will be the official signatory to the petition and will be a speaker at the launch together with Jim
McLay, the New Zealand Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission. The Right Honourable Helen Clark, Prime
Minister will be invited to conclude. Other speakers will be Michael Taylor, the first Greenpeace New Zealand whaling
campaigner and Sarah Duthie, the Greenpeace New Zealand ocean ecology campaigner.
"Sanctuaries are a forward thinking measure. They send a clear message of hope that the world is turning away from
whaling and that there will be no return to the commercial hunting which devastated one population after another." said
Sarah Duthie, Ocean Ecology Campaigner Greenpeace New Zealand.
Greenpeace offices around the world are co-ordinating the Global Whale Sanctuary petition. The New Zealand petition will
be presented to the New Zealand government prior to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Adelaide in
July.
The petition will be held at the Bodyshop, various marine mammel watching ventures, dive stores and tourist operators
around the country. The petition can also be printed from the Greenpeace website:
http://www.greenpeace.org.
For more information please contact: Sarah Duthie (09) 630 6317 or (025) 927301